Why Eating Fibre First Can Help Manage Type 2 Diabetes

From health.clevelandclinic.org

Fibre slows down digestion, helping prevent blood sugar spikes 

If you have Type 2 diabetes, you’ve probably spent plenty of time thinking about what to eat to help keep your blood sugar (glucose) steady. But did you know that the order in which you eat different foods can help, too?

When it comes to meal order, fibre deserves first place.

Registered dietitian Tegan Bissell, RD, LDN, CDCES, explains the benefits of dietary fibre and how eating it first can help keep your post-meal glucose in range.

Fibre and its role in diabetes

Most people think of fibre as the nutrient that helps keep you regular. But it also has many other health benefits, especially when you have diabetes. 

One of dietary fibre’s biggest benefits is its role in blood sugar management.

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate, but it works differently from typical carbs. Your body can’t break it down, which means it doesn’t raise blood glucose the same way other carbs do. So, eating high-fibre foods can slow digestion.

“When you eat fibre with a meal, sugar reaches your bloodstream in a more controlled manner, preventing blood sugar spikes,” explains Bissell. “It’s almost as if the fibre acts as a barrier.”

A steady blood sugar level isn’t the only reason to fill your plate with fibre-rich foods. Other benefits include:

• Heart health: People with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease. A high-fibre diet can help lower your risk. That’s because it helps lower LDL cholesterol — the “bad” kind that forms plaque inside your blood vessels.
• Weight management: Because it slows digestion, fibre can help you feel fuller longer. This may help with weight loss or long-term weight management.

The ‘fibre first’ rule

Eating more fibre is important. But you can boost its benefits based on when you eat it. Feasting on fibre first may help keep blood sugar levels steadier after a meal.

It’s a strategy known as the “fibre first” rule, or meal sequencing, when you eat the components of your meal in a specific order.

“During meals, it’s ideal to eat fibre first, protein second and save the typical carbohydrates for the end,” Bissell says.

There’s another potential benefit, too.

“Fibre and protein are filling,” she adds. “So, by the time you reach the carb serving, you may eat less than you would have if you had the carbohydrates first.”

This strategy is extra easy if you’re following the diabetes plate method. It recommends filling your plate with these food ratios at each meal:

• One-half with non-starchy veggies
• One-quarter with lean protein
• One-quarter with complex carbs

Wondering how this works in real life? Let’s say your dinner has four parts:

• 3 to 5 ounces of lemon and herb fish
• 1 serving of asparagus
• 1 side salad with 1 tablespoon of salad dressing
• 1 small baked potato

Instead of digging into the potato at the jump, try eating the meal in this order:

1. Asparagus and salad (high-fibre, non-starchy vegetables)
2. Fish (protein)
3. Baked potato (a carb-heavy, starchy vegetable)

What you drink with your meal can also make a difference. Bissell recommends water.

“Water binds with soluble fibre to form a thick gel,” she says. “It can slow the absorption of sugar and help you feel full.”

How much dietary fibre you should have each day

So, how much fibre should you aim for each day? The answer may surprise you. In fact, most adults in the United States get only about half the fibre they need.

The American Diabetes Association recommends the following:

• Females: 25 grams of fibre per day
• Males: 38 grams of fibre per day

But you should talk to your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian about what’s best for your body.

“Every person has unique dietary needs,” Bissell clarifies. “For example, people with irritable bowel disease may need to modify their fibre intake to manage the condition.”

The bottom line

Fibre does more than support digestion. It can also help keep blood sugar levels steadier and help you feel full longer.

If you’re tired of hearing about new diabetes food rules, that’s understandable. Managing Type 2 diabetes already involves a lot of daily decisions.

But meal sequencing isn’t about restricting foods or following another complicated plan. Instead, it’s a simple shift in how you eat what’s already on your plate.

“If you have Type 2 diabetes, try making fibre-rich foods the first thing you eat at meals,” Bissell encourages. “It’s a simple habit that may make a meaningful difference over time.”

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/fiber-first-diet-for-diabetes

These Seemingly Minor Symptoms Could Actually Be Signs Of Diabetes

From health.yahoo.com

Roughly 75% of Americans have some sort of chronic disease, which is defined by the Centers for Disease Control as a health issue that lasts for more than one year and either limits someone's functioning or requires continuous medical care.

This includes a range of illnesses, including diabetes, which affects about 40 million people in the United States. 

"Diabetes, in general, is a disorder in which the blood sugar is elevated, and the body doesn't have enough insulin, which is a hormone that lowers your blood sugar," said Dr. Lisa Swartz Topor, the program director of paediatric endocrinology at Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children's.

There are two main types of diabetes: type 1, "which is the most common form in paediatric patients," Swartz Topor said. "There is a destruction of the body's ability to make the insulin."

Then there is "type 2 diabetes, which is more common in adults; the body's still able to make insulin, especially at the beginning of the disease, but not enough insulin to keep up with what the body needs," she said.

Roughly 95% of diabetes cases in the U.S. are type 2, according to the CDC.

There are treatments available for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, such as GLP-1 medications. While there is no cure, the disease can still be managed to avoid greater complications.

"For any form of diabetes, the end game is higher sugars and high sugars in the bloodstream ... the high sugars over time can cause injury to different organs in the body, like the eyes, the kidneys or the heart, as well as other things," Swartz Topor said.

Permanent damage can be delayed (or stopped altogether) if patients with diabetes follow their doctor's treatment guidance.

"If we can keep the blood sugar level closer to the target range ... that end organ damage is less likely to occur and occurs further down the line," Swartz Topor said.

While adults can get diabetes screenings (for example, the routine A1C blood test that measures blood sugar), it's still important to know the concerning signs so you can reach out to your doctor.

Increased urination, vision changes and thickening of the skin can all happen when diabetes isn't diagnosed and managed. SimpleImages via Getty Images

Below, doctors share the diabetes symptoms they really want you to know:

1. Frequent urination and increased thirstiness.

"For Type 1 diabetes, the classic symptoms ... [are] increased thirstiness and increased frequency of urination, particularly large volumes of urination," Swartz Topor said. Type 1 also tends to be more symptomatic.

As for Type 2, it "can be very slow, so someone can have it for quite a long time without even realizing it," she noted.

Even still, Type 2 diabetes can also cause a lot of thirst and urination, said Dr. Archana Sadhu, an endocrinologist at Houston Methodist Diabetes Associates. "This is common for both type 1 and type 2 because this comes from the high levels of sugar in the blood," Sadhu noted.

2. Fatigue and weight loss.

"You can also have fatigue or just lack of energy," Sadhu said. "Lack of concentration is another one, and just feeling unwell."

Weight loss, along with an increased appetite, can also occur. As Sadhu explained, "Weight loss can be something that you see because of the frequent urination from the high sugar in the blood; there'll be high sugar in the urine as well, and patients are losing calories and weight as a result of that."

These symptoms can also occur in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

3. A thickening of the skin at the neck or groin.

Increased urination, thirst, fatigue and weight loss tend to be the most common signs of diabetes, but there are other changes that can happen, too. With type 2 diabetes, people can develop thickened skin in the neck, groin, or armpits, known as acanthosis nigricans, Swartz Topor said.

It appears as a thickening or darkening of the skin around skin folds. It even looks a little like dirt. "It could be a sign of prediabetes or diabetes," she added.

3. Vision changes.

Many issues can cause vision loss, but sudden changes in your vision can signal diabetes.

"When the sugars are really high, it can temporarily change the shape of the lens in your eye, and that could lead to blurry vision," Swartz Topor said. "There's a million causes for blurry vision, but if it's new, it's worth seeing someone."

This can happen in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, Swartz Topor added.

4. Recurrent yeast infections.

Recurrent yeast infections are another potential sign of diabetes, Swartz Topor said.

This is true for both kids and adults, but Swartz Topor stressed that yeast infections are highly unusual, particularly if a child is no longer in diapers yet not at puberty age.

"That could be a sign of high sugars, because yeast loves sugar," she said.

Certain risk factors for diabetes, along with ways to lower your risk, exist.

Certain lifestyle factors and genetic factors put some groups of people at higher risk of developing diabetes.

"The most prominent one would be a family history, and this is really strong for Type 2 diabetes, but also for Type 1," Sadhu said. If you have a family history, it's worth talking to your doctor to make sure you're getting the appropriate screenings.

For Type 2 diabetes, obesity is also a risk factor, along with a sedentary lifestyle, Sadhu noted, "where we're not using glucose and burning it off like we should."

"Dietary intake ... eating high-carb foods, highly processed foods with simple carbs, are all risk factors for type 2 diabetes," she added.

Making healthy changes to diet and exercise habits can lower your overall diabetes risk by 50%, she noted. This could mean eating more fruits, more veggies, drinking water instead of juice and exercising.

It's never too late to make healthy changes, Sadhu said, but it's even more valuable to start these habits in the younger people in your life.

If you are diagnosed with either type of diabetes, both doctors stressed that there are many treatments available, along with some exciting advancements in development.

It can feel overwhelming to manage diabetes, but, again, it is important to do so for your long-term health. Consider talking to your doctor, or even a dietitian, about prevention or treatment so you can make the health decisions that are right for your body, Swartz Topor said.

https://health.yahoo.com/conditions/endocrine/diabetes/articles/seemingly-minor-symptoms-could-actually-100017291.html